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You Should Read This Story About "Fairytale of New York"

Truly, there is no greater opening line to a Christmas song than "It's Christmas Eve in the drunk tank," so why not spend a few moments today reading about the history of "Fairytale of New York," the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl classic celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The entire article is great, but this paragraph really gets to the song's appeal:

The song's brilliance is sealed by its final verse when MacGowan protests, "I could have been someone", and MacColl shoots back: "Well, so could anyone." Then MacColl accuses, "You took my dreams from me," and MacGowan responds, with all the warmth he's been withholding: "I kept them with me babe/I put them with my own." So in its final iteration the chorus is no longer a tauntingly ironic reminder of better times but the tentative promise of reconciliation. "You really don't know what is going to happen to them," says MacGowan. "The ending is completely open."